Sharing social context

is community with the posthuman possible?

David Meeler

Eric Hill

pp. 279-288

in: Michael Hauskeller, Thomas D. Philbeck, Curtis D. Carbonell (eds), The Palgrave handbook of posthumanism in film and television, Berlin, Springer, 2015

Abstract

Extensive representations of governance in motion pictures are largely non-existent, and it is easy to see why. Even when Question Time with the prime minister is entertaining, day-to-day governance would probably make for unengaging narrative. Often, motion picture depictions of governance are descriptive snippets setting the stage for the central storyline. Filmmakers, instead, emphasize social contexts; but these are social contexts within which governance would occur. Consequently, we explore what can be gleaned from tell-tale signs of governance as depicted in posthuman motion pictures, as well as the likely government forms to accompany the social contexts envisioned.